Winners of İstanbul Photo Awards 2025 announced

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - The winners of the prestigious İstanbul Photo Awards 2025 were announced on Friday, recognizing outstanding achievements in international news photography.

Organized by Anadolu for the 11th year, the contest awarded 29 photographers across 10 categories, with around 22,000 photographs submitted from around the world.

The coveted Photo of the Year award was given to Palestinian photographer Saeed Jaras for his poignant work titled “Gaza-Deir al-Balah.” The image captures a heart-wrenching moment as parents embrace their child following an Israeli airstrike on their tent in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

Since its inception, the İstanbul Photo Awards has grown into a global platform, attracting 20,000 registered photographers.

This year’s winners were selected by an esteemed international jury, including National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale, photojournalist Carol Guzy, NOOR Agency photojournalist Yuri Kozyrev, The Globe and Mail photojournalist Goran Tomasevic, visual media consultant Michel Scotto, Getty Images chief sports photojournalist Cameron Spencer, and Turkish photojournalists Ahmet Sel and Firat Yurdakul.

In the Story News category, Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Omar Al-Qattaa secured first place with his series documenting Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The Single Sports category winner was AFP’s Jerome Brouillet, who captured a shot of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina reacting to a massive wave at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Reuters photographer Hannah McKay took top honors in the Story Sports category with her series on American gymnast Simone Biles, who won three gold medals, individually, and led her team to victory at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Single Nature & Environment category was won by European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) photographer Anton Brink, who captured a striking image of a volcanic eruption near Grindavik, Iceland. AFP’s Luis Tato was awarded first place in the Story Nature & Environment category for his impactful series on the devastating floods in East Africa.

In the Single Portrait category, Italian photographer Mauro De Bettio won for his portrait of women in Afghanistan. The Story Portrait category was claimed by Samar Abu Elouf with her series “Gaza War Survivors,” created for The New York Times.

The Single Daily Life category, named in memory of visual storyteller Marion Mertens, a former jury member who passed away in December 2024, awarded its first prize to Mahmoud Zaki Salem Issa for his powerful image of the hunger crisis in Palestine. Italian photographer Valentina Sinis won the Story Daily Life category for her series on the life stories of Afghan women.

A total of $58,000 was awarded across 30 prizes, with winning photographs set to be featured at international exhibitions and the annual İstanbul Photo Awards album.

This year’s contest is supported by Turkcell as the communication sponsor, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) as the overseas event sponsor, and Turkish Airlines as the airline sponsor.

More information on the winning photographs and jury members can be found at istanbulphotoawards.com

The İstanbul Photo Awards has become a cornerstone of global photojournalism, celebrating the art of visual storytelling while shedding light on critical issues worldwide.